San Francisco Transportation Tips by Callavetta

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: These antique replicas of international trolleys run along the Embarcadero from Fisherman's Wharf all the way to the Castro District (past PacBell Park). It makes it very easy to see the sites along the waterfront.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Get tired of walking? Don't want to take a trolley? Hop on one of these. I always thought this would be kind of a cool job; lots of fresh air and exercise.

You'll find these bike rickshaws all along the Embarcadero or at Ghiradelli Square, ready to give you a lift.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Want to spend 3 hours moving about SF (primarily the Wharf area) and not have to walk? Check out the Segue Tours. From the tours website, you will see:

*Fisherman's Wharf and the picturesque fishing harbor
*Cable Car turnaround
*Ghirardelli Square (home of delicious chocolate!)
*National Maritime Museum and the historic sailing ships
*Fort Mason (former military base, now a historic landmark)
*Marina Green (where the locals sunbathe and fly kites)
*Palace of Fine Arts (once the site of the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition)
*St Francis and Golden Gate Yacht Clubs
*Views of Alcatraz

The tour is $65 and participants must be a minimum of 12 years of age.

My personal advice is get a bike. You'll save money and enjoy yourself more.

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Phone: 415-474-3130 .
Website: www.sfelectrictour.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bicycle
Getting TO/AROUND: While many people wouldn't think of riding a bike around a City like San Francisco, there are loads and loads of areas that are safe and easy and best seen on a bike. If you are able to bring your own, there is plenty of free parking space behind the Exploratorium (Palace of Fine Arts) or Chrissy Field. And both of those are excellent places to start your ride from. The entire area along the Bay is flat and easily navigable by bike. As you near Fisherman's Wharf and go on along the Embarcadero, there is a lot more traffic, but if you proceed with caution you'll find it easy and safe to ride (and in fact, you'll make better progress than cars!).

If you can't bring your own bike, consider Blazing Saddles. This rental outfit provides visitors with everything they need to make the experience great; well maintained bikes, helmets, saddlebags, and maps.

Update: I just drove over the bridge and into Sausalito. It was a GORGEOUS day and there were a ton of people on Blazing Saddles' Bikes. I have one thing to say: Helmets people! Nobody is renting helmets and there is so much traffic and some steep hills with blind curves and you're not familiar with the terrain. Don't be stupid. PLEASE rent a helmet!

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Phone: 415-202-8888
Website: www.blazingsaddles.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: One of the most frequently asked questions by potential visitors to San Francisco is "shall I rent a car?"

A car can be a major headache in the City; or it can be a complete boon. For anyone not used to driving in a city, navigating the streets of SF can be a major challenge. Double parked trucks alone can drive a person to drink. Parking can be horrendously expensive and hard to find. Or it can be free and plentiful, depending on where you go.

For a thorough visit to SF, a car can be very helpful. The 49 mile drive is an excellent way to see what the City has to offer, and you must have a car to navigate the route. If you want the pleasure of driving over the Golden Gate Bridge (and paying $5.00 to come back) you must have a car. For the unbeatable views on the Marin Headlands, you must drive to get there (or be one heck of a cyclist).

Visitors who decide to bring a car into the city, will want to choose accommodations outside of the Financial District, Union Square area, Fisherman's Wharf area. There are hotels along Lombard St. that provide free parking to their guests. Otherwise, should you choose to stay in a hotel downtown, prepare to pay hefty parking fees.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: San Francisco is at the very tip of a peninsula. To get there by car, if you're not coming from the south, you will to need to cross one of two bridges. From the West, you'll cross the San Francisco Bay Bridge. This span suffered a major break in the 1989 earthquake. For several weeks, while it was undergoing repairs, it was abundantly clear how important this bridge was! Today there is a new span being constructed alongside the Bay Bridge.

From the North, you will cross the world famous Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate is perhaps the single most recognizable landmark in California.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: "To be where little cable cars, climb halfway to the stars....."

The cable cars are probably one of the number one tourist stops in San Francisco. As a result the lines can be very long! There are three Cable Car lines. Two originate at Powell and Market. One goes to the park near Ghiradelli Square (Hyde). The other veers off and winds up closer to Fisherman's Wharf (Bay). These are the most popular because they are what you think of when you wind steeply up hill and veer madly to the left and right. You're likely to wait upwards of an hour or two just to board. (While you can board anywhere along the cable car line, good luck getting a place to hang on to!)

Here's a secret. If you just want the experience of riding one of these cars, take the California Street line. You can board at the Embarcadero, right in front of the Hyatt Regency and ride all the way to Van Ness Avenue. You'll go up over Nob Hill, past China Town and the Bank of America Buildings, right by Glide Memorial Church, Past the Mayor's residence, and some of the more magificent buildings in the City. And you won't have to stand in line!

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